Thursday Photo #170

I expected to plummet down to earth with a bump this week. We’re home from our holiday, my husband is back at work and I’m juggling work with looking after both girls. But at the start of the summer, we wrote our summer holiday list and now we’re ploughing through it.

Days out with the girls

I don’t mind admitting that I’m a rubbish mum at home. I’m easily distracted by work and yet I feel horribly guilty when I’m not giving the girls my full attention. But when we’re out, it’s different. I may still get distracted by important emails, but I’m generally totally focussed on them. They’re away from the temptation of the television and iPad and we all just get along better.

This week, we headed into Birmingham. We spent a lovely morning becoming octo-glow explorers at the National Sea Life Centre. Then we checked out some of the Big Sleuth bears and headed to Wagamama’s for lunch. The whole day was a resounding success, so much better than trying to entertain them at home.

Media Launch at The Canal House Birmingham

On Tuesday night, I boarded a canal boat with a group of friends. We downed some awesome beers in the name of ale tasting before arriving at the beautiful Canal House.

The newly refurbished Canal House is quite simply fabulous. It’s a huge building that seats 135 people for food and drink. The ale menu is spectacular, with 60 real ales from around the world to choose from. They also do some incredible cocktails and distill their own gin on the premises.

The food menu is simple but covers all tastes. I had olives as a pre-starter, followed by a baked camembert with apple and croutons. As a main course, I went with a deli board, which allowed me to choose four small dishes in a tapas style. The people I was with had meat and fish courses, all of which they spoke very highly of.

We also sampled the dessert menu, with the table managing to get through grilled pineapple, sticky toffee pudding and a cheese board. All the food at the Canal House was incredible. The standard is far above anything you would expect at a pub. And yet, it retained a jovial pub atmosphere with friendly staff and live music. I will absolutely be returning there next time I can find an excuse for a night out in Birmingham.

Our Thursday photo #170

This week’s Thursday photo is of the girls with one of the Big Sleuth bears. I love the way Lia is looking at her big sister. She doesn’t like to admit it, but Lia does look up to Libby and often follows her lead when she’s unsure of things. This photo sums that up perfectly.